The Hope Keeper
We cover ground as we travel thousands of miles from my birthplace. My keeper crosses desert and rocky terrain, tumultuous seas, watching as the skies shift and the hot winds transition to something wild and damp and green. Soon, buildings and streets made of stone arise on the horizon.
Eventually, our coach brings us through the gates of the most important man in this new land. It is here where I resurface.
“What have you?” the man demands.
“The Tavernier Blue, Your Majesty,” my keeper replies.
As I am presented, there is a gasp of pleasure, or is it one of surprise?
“Let me see it!” The king takes me into his hands.
I am a mirror, reflecting a long face and nose, intelligent eyes, and dark waving hair.
“It will be the Tavernier Blue no longer,” he says. “It is now the French Blue.”
“The great violet diamond of His Majesty, King Louis,” my keeper, Monsieur Tavernier, agrees.
I am pleased to be held in high esteem, shaped into the rough outline of a heart, set in gold and worn on a blue ribbon around the neck, or mounted on a stick.
Sunrays beam into my depths, and I enchant His Majesty and His Majesty’s subjects—for a time.
They do not know that which I carry; they only feel the heady spell I cast.
Though I am not living and I cannot feel or see or breathe, I can witness, and witness I do. The rise of a great chateau, of a remarkable king and a remarkable kingdom, and admiration for reason and power and beauty so vast, I become valued above all.
But there is a cost for such multitudes.
News of my first keeper’s demise reaches the palace. His Majesty’s most trusted gem merchant has died a gruesome death. And there is more. I witness misfortune passed down from His Majesty to grandson and great-grandson. I witness need so pervasive, its violence brings down a kingdom.
Mankind always forgets one very important thing, you see. To possess is to be possessed. And power is an illusion.
As the country burns, whispers arise again of the darkness I carry, and I am buried once more, hidden away until I shall show my lustrous face again.